Tibet to open wider to outside world: official

LHASA, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region will open wider to the outside world in 2019, a local government official said Thursday.

Tibet will enhance interconnectivity in terms of infrastructure to build "a big routeway of openness" towards South Asia, Qizhala, chairman of the regional government, said in his government work report delivered Thursday at the second session of the 11th People's Congress of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Qizhala said that up to five export bases would be developed in 2019. The region aims to increase foreign trade by at least 10 percent and border trade by at least 30 percent.

Tibet will continue to build the border economic cooperation area in Gyirong and the bonded area in Lhasa, the regional capital. The port of Zham will resume its passage for goods and several other ports will also open to the outside, Qizhala said.

In recent years, border trade in Tibet has seen rapid development. Last year, trade value of imports and exports totaled 4.8 billion yuan (about 700 million U.S. dollars).